The lizard brain, more formally known as the amygdala (Oooh, one of my favorite topics!) is responsible for threat response. And now for the amazing part: However, it does not differentiate between a threat to your life and a threat to your ego. So, every barking dog might be a rabid dog, and Lizard Brain would kill every barking dog just in case. Amazing, after so many generations, we haven't evolved a bit farther along. SOME of us have. Far too many of us continue to bully others, build up our own egos at other's expense, and wage war on whole nations of innocents. (*sigh) Thanks, Chea, for a great lesson in Avoiding Engagement whenever we can!